Energy company Gasum on Monday (27 September) said it has delivered liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel to the French luxury cruise operator La Compagnie du PONANT in Le Havre, France.
The LNG was delivered to PONANT ’s newbuild polar explorer Le Commandant Charcot in its inaugural call to the French port on the 24 September 2021.
The bunkering operation was Gasum’s first LNG delivery in France and marked a further milestone in the extension of the company’s delivery network. It was also the first LNG bunkering ever performed in Le Havre, the second largest commercial port and the largest container port in France, says Gasum.
Gasum and PONANT share the dedication both to excellency and to reducing the environmental footprint of the shipping industry. Le Commandant Charcot, named after the renowned french polar scientist and explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot, is the first hybrid-electric polar exploration ship powered by LNG. This unique polar exploration vessel is the latest addition to PONANT’s fleet and is set to sail the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
“We have been working on this natural gas powered polar exploration ship project for 6 years and this is already the second liquefied natural gas bunkering operation we have carried out with Gasum since the delivery of the ship on 29th July 2021. These LNG bunkering operations represent the culmination of several years of analysis, engineering and testing to perform these operations safely and with maximum efficiency,” says Hervé Gastinel, CEO of PONANT.
“The ship reached the Geographic North Pole for the first time on 6th September 2021, using natural gas throughout its journey. We are fully satisfied and particularly proud of the technical innovations developed on this ship that have enabled us to achieve this exceptional performance.
“Le Commandant Charcot is the first passenger ship equipped with high pressure membrane LNG tanks offering up to 2 months of autonomy on natural gas, greater flexibility in its bunkering and operation, and guaranteeing enhanced safety. Le Commandant Charcot paves the way for new and more environmentally friendly natural gas propulsion methods and helps to meet the CO2 reduction targets set out in the Paris Agreement.”
Reducing emissions is crucial as Le Commandant Charcot will be operating in fragile environments, such as the waters of the North Pole and Antarctica. LNG is currently the most environmentally friendly maritime fuel available. Switching to LNG removes completely SoX and particle emissions and reduces NoX emissions up to 85%. LNG also emits at least 20 % less CO2 when compared to traditional maritime fuels.
LNG is a way towards a low-carbon future for maritime
Maritime traffic contributes up to 3 % of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, which contributes directly to global warming. Gasum is leading the way towards a cleaner future for maritime transport by operating as a premium supplier of LNG and an expert in bunkering services.
“This delivery marks an important step in our cooperation with PONANT and I am proud to support PONANT in reducing their emissions. At the same time, we expand our delivery network to a port as significant as Le Havre. Our services for maritime operators all over Europe are becoming even more relevant, in the light of the requirements of the EU’s recent Fit for 55 -climate package proposal,” says Jacob Granqvist, Vice President of Gasum’s Maritime.
LNG is rapidly becoming more common as a maritime fuel, as switching to it is one of the concrete actions that can be taken towards significantly reducing maritime traffic’s climate impact. As a fuel it is interchangeable with 100 % renewable liquefied biogas (LBG) which means that it can be mixed with and even replaced by LBG. As a fuel LBG is even cleaner than LNG as it can reduce CO2 emissions over its lifetime cycle up to 90 %.
Photo credit: Gasum
Published: 28 September, 2021
Development will allow Aramco to ‘develop new partnerships and opportunities with our clients in Europe, North and West Africa,’ says President & CEO.
Adds northwest Europe, New York Harbor, and US Gulf coast bunker price assessments to portfolio.
In the filing, Gulf Petrol accused a GP Global unit for forging documents to make it seem like it owed more than USD 40 million to the unit, reports Reuters.
Company asserts that mitigating risks for members, embracing technological innovations, and maintaining transparency are key to its bunker alliance’s relevance.
Interested players entering the Singapore bunkering sector will need to own and operate at least two dual-fuelled bunker tankers, in addition to other requirements.
Company which left Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore list was the second smallest supplier by volume at Singapore port in 2020.
PetroSeraya appoints YTL PowerSeraya veteran See Yoong Hwee to drive its fuel tank leasing operations; together with Rafe Liam as Commercial Manager, they will spearhead the company’s initiatives.
‘This biofuel bunker delivery represents a new chapter for Eng Hua as we are now moving with the times towards the era of decarbonisation,’ Mike Sin, Director at Eng Hua, tells bunkering publication Manifold Times.
MPA has also asked Glencore to improve its internal procedures to ensure that prompt action is taken in future when it becomes aware of, or reasonably suspects, any irregularity in fuel quality, it states.
Dynamic Asset Investments Limited and Goldsland Holdings Co Ltd helped Vermont UM Bunkering maintain a “Cash Float” of about SGD 100,000 to facilitate “buyback” bunker transactions at Singapore port.
Senior Cargo Officer gained SGD 48,800 worth of commission from “buyback” bunker transactions and illegally obtained SGD 410,712.257 by cheating Vermont, a Singapore court heard on Thursday (21 July).
Firm hopes to leverage partnership in Greece as a springboard to expand into neighbouring and overseas markets including Europe and China, says Robin Van Elderen, Regional Head Bunkers, Europe, Sing Fuels.
